The present invention relates to a method of operating an elevator installation, which comprises an elevator control with a plurality of functions for control of the elevator installation, and to an elevator control.
The elevator control of an elevator installation usually comprises implementations of a plurality of functions. As a rule, more functions are implemented in the elevator control of an elevator installation than are actually available for the elevator control for controlling during operation of the elevator installation. Which of the implemented functions during operation of the elevator installation are actually available for controlling or which of the implemented functions shall not be available for controlling during operation of the elevator installation is usually established by a configuring of the elevator control.
By configuring of an elevator control of an elevator installation there can be understood every measure establishing one or more characteristics which the elevator control is to have with respect to controlling of the elevator installation during operation of the elevator installation. This embraces establishing actions and reactions which are controllable by the elevator control and relate to operation of the elevator installation.
The configuring enables consideration of specific operating parameters of the elevator installation and establishes the system behavior which the elevator control is to exhibit during operation of the elevator installation. Configuring usually takes place on one occasion prior to placing an elevator installation into operation. It can in a given case also be repeated at a later point in time, for example in order to change the system behavior of the elevator control. The latter can be relevant if the configuration of the elevator installation and/or of the elevator control has to be changed. This concerns, for example, the installation or demounting of components which in operation of the elevator installation are subject to or shall be subject to the control of the elevator control, or the installing (implementing) or deinstallation of program modules which are suitable for controlling the elevator installation and which—when installed—represent a realization of control options of the elevator control. So that a change of that kind in the configuration is effective in operation of the elevator installation, a renewed configuring of the elevator control is usually carried out in order to adapt the elevator control to the changed situation. In this case configuring has to comprise at least such measures which specify the required changes in the system behavior of the elevator control.
The system behavior of an installed and already configured elevator control of an elevator installation can be subsequently changed within a certain scope even when the implementation of functions in the elevator control remains unchanged. For this purpose it is merely necessary to undertake a renewed configuring of the elevator control in accordance with a changed specification of the elevator installation. In this manner the elevator control can be appropriately adapted to changed requirements of the system behavior, for example after modernization of the elevator installation, without constructional changes in the elevator control itself being necessary.
A method and device for installing or operating an elevator control is disclosed in European patent document EP 0 857 684 A1. The configuring of the elevator control of an elevator installation takes place, after installation of the elevator installation, with the help of a memory card which contains in a memory element all control data necessary for operating the elevator installation, i.e. particularly programs and/or data for controlling the elevator installation and for configuring the elevator control. The memory card is inserted into the elevator control. Specific special functions and options, for example operation for handicapped persons, operation for VIPs, an energy-saving mode or a fire protection system, are selectably activated by the memory card and are thus available to the control during operation of the elevator installation. If after placing of the elevator installation in operation other control options for operation of the elevator installation are to be made available, the memory card then has to be replaced by another memory card with a memory element which contains the control data suitable for activation of the desired control options. For every desired change, a person has to visit the elevator installation each time in order to insert the new memory card into the elevator control. This is costly when changes have to be undertaken frequently or even routinely, for example, when specific control options are to be made available merely for a limited period of time for controlling during operation of the installation or when operation of elevator controls is carried out on the basis of a contract of limited term or maintenance of elevator installations takes place on the basis of a maintenance contract of limited term.
The present invention has the advantage of creating a method of operating an elevator installation, and of creating an elevator control, in such a manner that a selective change in control operations after placing the elevator installation in operation is possible at a low cost.